Barcelona agree deal to sign Luuk de Jong on loan

Barcelona have signed Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong on loan for the rest of the season as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who has returned to Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day.

The move was completed prior to the transfer deadline, with all the necessary paperwork submitted on time, but an official announcement was wasn't by Barcelona until 3.30am local time.

De Jong has spent the last two years at Sevilla, scoring 19 goals in 94 appearances across all competitions, following a 2019 transfer from PSV Eindhoven.

The departure of Griezmann, has returned to Atletico on a one-year loan with the option of a further year and an obligation to buy, and the arrival of De Jong leaves Barça with only the Dutchman, fellow countryman Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite as their current options up front.

Sergio Aguero is currently sidelined with a calf injury, while Ousmane Dembele underwent knee surgery in June. The club was also, of course, unable to register a new contract for Lionel Messi because of failure to comply with La Liga salary regulations, paving the way for his move to PSG.

De Jong started his career at De Graafschap in the Netherlands but was quickly poached by Twente after only a handful of first-team appearances. He won the Eredivisie with the club in 2009/10 and the KNVB Cup the following year, before a breakout season as a prolific goalscorer earned him a move to to Germany and Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012.

De Jong’s golden touch deserted him at Gladbach in a debut season that included an early injury setback. He failed to find the net at all in the first half of the 2013/14 campaign, before then playing 12 games without scoring while on loan at Newcastle in the second half.

It took a return to his native Netherlands in 2014 for De Jong to find his feet again, scoring 58 times in his first two seasons at PSV. It was later another 32 goals in all competitions that prompted Sevilla to take the player to Spain two years ago.

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